


It's You and Me, and the Distance in Between

by OnTheGround2012



Series: All I Saw Was You [124]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Future, Birthday, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, College, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Established Relationship, Feelings, Flashbacks, Fluff, Human Stiles Stilinski, Idiots in Love, Jealousy, Long-Distance Relationship, Love, M/M, Mentioned Sheriff Stilinski, Post-Season/Series 02, Questions, Romantic Fluff, The Hale Pack - Freeform, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Werewolf Jackson Whittemore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-14 21:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20607593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnTheGround2012/pseuds/OnTheGround2012
Summary: Stiles's birthday is one more reminder that having a long-distance relationship isn't easy.* 5th anniversary post





	It's You and Me, and the Distance in Between

**Author's Note:**

> Today it's been 5 years since I posted chapter 1 in 2014, that standalone that many people asked me to continue. For me, it's bittersweet because now very few people are interested in this series and most of the people who read it are invisible. Maybe it's been going on for too long... maybe I should have stopped writing this the moment posting became totally depressing and made me feel like shit - I don't know; I do know that around ten people have been still interested in it in 2019, so at least they have enjoyed it and I really appreciate it. 
> 
> I'm sad to see this series come to an end but these five years have taught me a lot. I'm very far from being a good writer (I'm now using my time to read books and I realize even more how bad I am in comparison) but I guess that my ability to write certain things in English has improved a little and that's why I wrote other stackson series and other stories for other fandoms. 
> 
> At least I'm proud of the development of the original characters and the fact that some people like them. I'm also happy with the development of Stiles and Jackson, of their love story, and with all flashbacks that have brought information about different special moments of their lives. I'm not gonna bore you with my feelings, so I'll just say I wrote this chapter a long time ago and I think it was meant to be posted today. 
> 
> Muchas gracias/Thanks so much to my beta for her help and for always being there to support me.

Stiles has just finished tidying up his room when he accepts the skype video call on his computer and Jackson’s gorgeous but tired face appears on his laptop.

“Hey, you got it, right?”

“Yeah, your mom gave it to my dad at the station this morning before going to work, and he gave it to me when I got home this afternoon.”

“Have you opened it?”

“What do you think?” Stiles asks, getting up, grabbing the package from his bed before sitting back at his desk again, showing it to Jackson, perfectly wrapped. “You asked me not to open it like ten times yesterday.”

“Yeah, I asked you because I know you… you can’t resist opening a present for five minutes, let alone two hours.”

“Well, maybe I’m growing up, alright?” Stiles waves his right hand. “It’s my birthday after all.”

“True, happy birthday… You’re older than me now. God, you’re _so old…_” Jackson smirks.

Jackson’s teasing tone is something that Stiles always likes even if he would never admit it.

“Shut up, you’ll be as _old_ as I am in four months—Wait,” Stiles furrows his brow, “where are you?” Because he’s just realized that the wall behind Jackson doesn’t look like his room and Jackson is obviously on his phone, not on his laptop.

“The stairs. Near the library. Don’t worry, there’s nobody around… everybody is having dinner or studying, I guess.”

“Of course—You were at the library… and you interrupted your studying to call me?” Stiles frowns. “You shouldn’t—”

“I said I’d call you, didn’t I?

“Yes, but I could have waited until tonight.”

“Yeah, and you would have opened it without me.”

“Not true,” Stiles says defensively.

“Whatever. Now we won’t need to find out… just open it already.” Jackson smiles.

“Fine. But just so you know, if you’ve spent too much, I’m taking it back to the store.”

“You aren’t returning shit, and that’s final,” Jackson says with conviction.

Stiles rips off the paper with no delicacy at all and he finds a white box with the ‘Diesel’ logo at the top.

“Fuck,” Stiles shakes his head. “Jackson—”

“Stiles, open-the-fucking-box,” Jackson says, leaning closer to the phone, like if that is going to make any difference.

“Yeah, I’m working on it!” Stiles gets up, leaves the box on the bed and leans over to open it.

“Shit,” it’s all Jackson can hear from Stiles, who is still standing with his back facing the laptop as he takes it out of the box with both hands.

“You like it?” Jackson says, unable to wait any longer in uncertainty.

“You’re insane, okay?” Stiles shakes his head, licking his lips.

“That means you like it?” Jackson raises both eyebrows.

“No, that means… _you can’t do this_. That’s what I mean.”

“Okay, I’ll take that as a ‘yes’...” Jackson tries not to smirk but gives up after a few seconds. “Put it on, then.”

Stiles is not sure he should, because if he does, he’ll love it and then, there’s no way he’ll have the will the take it back to wherever this gorgeous thing came from.

“Look, if it’s the right size,” and Jackson knows Stiles’s size perfectly, “you’re not taking it back or whatever else is going through your mind. So, just try it on.”

Stiles shakes his head but he puts on the brown leather jacket and unsurprisingly, it fits Stiles’s chest, arms and waist perfectly.

The jacket has a round neckline with a snap-button tab on the neck, long sleeves with padded shoulders, zipped cuffs, chest pockets, side zip pockets, an inside pocket, and a zip-up front.

“Okay, are you going to say anything?”

And there it is, that thing in Jackson’s voice that always gets to Stiles and he feels actually badly for not being more enthusiastic from the start. Besides, he knows very well that it’s not been easy to get this to him since he couldn’t buy it personally and had to get his mother involved.

“Fine, it’s beautiful, okay? It’s perfect, and I love it. Of course, I love it, but—”

“You look seriously hot.” Jackson nods. “Just go and check it out in the mirror because you look amazing. I don’t know why I didn’t get you one before.”

“Because you can’t do that. Normal people don’t—”

“Yes, I can—And I have. And you need to learn to accept gifts more gracefully from now on. Especially from me.”

Stiles snorts. “You’re the only one who—”

“_Is your boyfriend_ and is allowed to get you any present he wants?” Jackson raises his eyebrows. Jackson knows perfectly well that Stiles remembers when he told him the same thing and he can’t possibly dispute his own argument. “In that case, yeah, that’s me,” Jackson nods again.

Stiles doesn’t say anything. He just slides his hand along the sleeve checking out the texture of the leather and opens and closes the zip pockets, before he finally zips the front.

“So, you think I look hot?” Stiles bites his lower lip, obviously not convinced.

“_Very hot_,” Jackson stresses both words, smiling.

“Shit, why did you get me this?” Jackson looks back at the screen, unzipping the jacket and sitting down at the desk again.

“_Why_? Jackson rolls his eyes dramatically. “You know why. You’re the one who forbade me to go and told me to stay here studying. You knew I’d get you something even if I wasn’t there.”

“I wished you were here… but you don’t need to be. I’m just talking to you. And... you know what I mean—This thing must cost a fortune. How did you even involve your mother in this?” Stiles frowns.

“Okay, firstly, you’re _not_, and I repeat: _not_ allowed to google that jacket, so don’t even think about it. Secondly, yes, it’s not cheap, but nothing of quality is, and if it makes you feel better, it’s not too expensive either… this is something that you can use for years and I can afford it, as you know... And thirdly, when I asked her, she didn’t hesitate—she wanted to do me the favor, not to mention how much she loves to go shopping, so maybe this proves that she’s finally accepted you… which I’ll take as progress and growth of your relationship. Plus, you only turn twenty once… I think that gives me a certain reason to indulge... or whatever...”

If there’s a quality that Jackson has is that he always knows how to prove his points and defend all his actions, no matter how selfish or irrational they might seem to other people. Jackson can be insecure and might be sometimes afraid of not achieving his goals, but when it comes to defending his ideas, he’s the most fearless and confident person Stiles knows. He’s definitely going to be a good lawyer. Stiles has no doubt about it.

“I hate that you always know how to make a compelling argument,” Stiles admits. “And I hate even more that you always convince me of your bullshit.”

Jackson snorts a laugh, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I’m good, but I’m not that _good_, Stilinski—You just know I’m right… as usual.”

Stiles bites his lip and runs a hand through his long hair to move it out of his face and behind his ear.

“Umm… no, I wouldn’t say that… but yeah, I love it… and I love you, and you know that.”

“I do.” Jackson smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s that look in his eyes that Stiles can recognize too easily know. Days like today it’s even harder not being able to reach out to touch, and feel, and hold each other. It’s bittersweet.

“Shit, Jackson,” Stiles shakes his head.

“I’m okay. Really, it’s okay.” Only, Jackson’s features say that he’s not really okay.

“You’re still having that birthday party on Saturday, right?”

“Well, yeah, but I wouldn’t call it a _party_, exactly… it’s, you know, just some people from the uni and the pack are coming over—”

“That’s called a ‘party’,” Jackson interrupts him. “And I want you to have fun and eat a lot of cake, and show me pictures… don’t be weird about it because I’m gonna miss it. I’ll call you, okay?”

“Fine… but it… you know, it won’t be the same without you.”

“Oh, I know that…” Jackson smirks “And just so you know, I don’t like that the idea of Jake being in your house, looking at you like this forbidden fruit that you are—”

“He doesn’t—” Stiles interrupts him too fast.

“He does—But that’s okay. He can look all he wants.” After all, the last time he met Jake, he made sure he knew who Jackson was and his place in Stiles’s life. He knows he’s not a threat but loves teasing Stiles whenever he has the chance.

“You’re impossible.”

Then, they are interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

“That must be Scott, he said he was coming over. He’s probably bringing his present.”

“Okay, go. I should get back to the library anyway.”

“Okay, but I’ll text you tonight. And thank you, Scott is going to freak out when he sees it.”

Jackson smiles. He’s sure of that. “Glad you liked it. Love you.” Jackson interrupts the video call and stares at the phone for a few seconds. That’s what he does most of the times. He ends it fast because it’s the easiest way to do it.

He hates this feeling: the crash after the high. The unavoidable feeling of solitude that lasts for about ten minutes before he comes back to reality—to his routine. Before he remembers that this was his decision and he has to deal with it—that it’s temporary. He remembers the last time they were together when Stiles came to visit him a month ago. He remembers their conversations and those times where there wasn’t much talking involved. He knows he can’t live without that and that feeling gives him the comfort he needs to be as happy as he can be with how things are in his life.

He remembers the surprise on Stiles’s face when he opened the box and he smiles himself. Because the truth is that he can’t complain. At his age, he knows what he wants and who he wants, and that’s a lot more than many other people can say.

**Author's Note:**

> To everybody who happens to read this or any other chapter, I'd tell them not to be shy... I'd tell them to come out of the dark and "step into the light," as the brilliant Darren Hayes would say. It's just really cool to know that you are there and to hear from you. Don't be a stranger, I'll be very glad to meet you :)
> 
> Btw, I have 2 other stackson series that you can check out if you want:
> 
> * [Throw Your Weight On Me](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1374817)  
* [What If It's You?](https://archiveofourown.org/series/885351)
> 
> You can find me as [otg2012](http://otg2012.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.


End file.
